Mission Eastis a Danish international relief and development organisation, working in Eastern Europe and Asia. Our aim is to deliver relief aid, to create and support long-term development projects and to empower local aid organisations to carry on the work independently. Making no racial, religious or political distinction between those in need, we aim to assist the most vulnerable.

In the shadows of a forgotten war

As part of the second phase of the “Healthy Start” Project, Mission East and Bridge of Hope, our local NGO partner, are working closely with community leaders to establish Mainstream Family and Child Centers in 10 communities in the north-eastern region of Tavush. These centers are meant to be a place where both disabled and able-bodied children can play and communicate with each other, and where parents can gather in groups and get the advice they need to help them in their situation. Because of the shame often associated with having a disabled child, many of the disabled children have been hidden in their homes for years, and many of the parents think their situation is unique and therefore don’t know how to reach out and get the help they need.
The Mainstream Family and Child Centers will be the first step towards the integration of disabled children into society – a place where the children and parents will meet professional caretakers, teachers and psychologists, who will help not only the children, but also the parents, and who can give advice to individual families.

October the 22nd was a memorable day for the people of Berqaber, a small village situated right on the border with neighbouring Azerbaijan. On that day, the first Mainstream Family and Child Center opened in Tavush, the first of a total of 10 of such centers to open this year. Managing Director Kim Hartzner attended the ceremony and gave a speech, as did local government representatives and Bridge of Hope Project Co-ordinator Lilit Stepanyan.

There was some anxiety at the opening of the new center in Berqaber, situated 1.5 kilometer from the border with neighbouring Azerbaijan: The night before, gunshots had rung out from 4pm and way into the night – shootings across the border, which meant that the staff preparing for the opening could not leave the building for hours. The shootings represent a long term aftermath of a forgotten war that officially ended with a truce in May 1994, but which has flared up periodically ever since. Most episodes have been brief cross-border skirmishes, but earlier this year a larger clash took place between the troops on both sides of the frontline separating Armenian troops in the breakaway Armenian enclave of Nagorno Karabakh, and Azerbaijani troops positioned on the other side of the frontline.

The war, which lasted from 1988 till 1994, officially claimed 25,000 lives. But on a regular basis, civilians and soldiers are still killed in cross-border shootings and clashes.
During the Soviet period, Berqaber was a prosperous village – now, with a forgotten war showing its ugly face at regular intervals – the village has turned into the poorest of the region.

In the midst of the unrest, anxieties and poverty experienced by the villagers of Berqaber, we have now managed to bring a bit of hope and a glimmer of light for children desperately in need of such.

In Khashtarak, another village in Tavush region, the village mayor Mr. Hayk Khamalyan shows the premises currently undergoing renovation. Soon, another Mainstream Family and Child Center will be opened here.